Infection of a wound is the successful invasion and proliferation by one or more species of microorganisms anywhere within the body‘s sterile tissues, sometimes resulting in pus formation. Development of wound infection depends on the inter play of many factors. The breaking of the host protective layer, the skin, and thus disturbing the protective functions of the layer, will induce many cell types into the wound to initiate host response. An estimated 234 million surgical operations are performed worldwide every year, with the majority resulting in a wound that heals by primary intention. Significant morbidity can result if these wounds become infected. Not only does surgical-site infection (SSI) impact on a patient‘s recovery, it can also lead to increased hospital stay. With total rates of SSI in the developed world estimated at around 5 percent, SSI is a common and expensive health care problem. Although various patient factors, such as diabetes and steroid use, increase the likelihood of SSI, the type of surgical procedure and level of wound contamination also have a major influence. Prospective study was performed for a period of six months, from May 2015 to October 2015 the study was conducted in Government headquarters Hospital, Erode. Hospital ethical committees’ permission was obtained before stating the research. The study included patients with wound infections such as ulcer wounds, diabetic foot ulcer wounds, post-operative wounds and was on antibiotic treatment. Design of data entry in a separate data entry form for incorporating patient details was designed. National mastitis council reports indicate that 25 – 40 percent of all clinical samples are negative on routine culturing. The possible reasons include, that the organism may no longer present and the clinical signs are due to by-products such as endotoxins. Another reason may be the antibiotics have killed the organism or suppressed organism numbers to unrecoverable levels (47%). The incidence of wound infection was more common in males (63%) than in females. The most prevalent organism isolated from different wound infections was found to be S. aureus (57%), followed by E. coli (23%), Proteus (19%), Pseudomonas (12%) and Klebsiella (8%). The reasons for the differences in antimicrobial drug–resistant patterns might be related to infection control practices or to timing of the introduction of resistant organisms. However, more research is needed to clarify these differences.

Download this article as